The Good Life Co-operative, Singapore
The Good Life Co-operative of Singapore is a newly launched Co-operative that hopes to bring the Co-operative movement’s spirit of interdependent and mutual support into healthcare.
They are a member-centred organisation that hopes to help its members “actively age”- Live long, live well, live carefree. They exist for their members but work in partnership with healthcare providers and founders to help ensure that healthcare is appropriate, affordable and accessible.
Each member of the Co-operative is welcomed with a personalised care plan that includes assessment of his/ her health risks and health coaching. Health and wellness activities, Health literacy talks, as well as access to healthcare packages that adhere to the open and transparent reasonable pricing ethos that The Good Life Co-operative negotiates for are also members benefits .
Follow-up is key and each member is helped to set health outcome goals, keeping track on their progress be it- watching their diet, losing weight, tracking their diabetes sugar levels or blood pressure, cholesterol. Each member is assigned to a specific doctor, nurse health coach who they can turn to, ask for help.
In 2014, they will be organising 4 public forums in partnership with government agencies and private, people sector providers to raise awareness about Osteoarthritis ( Painful) knees which is a common condition resulting in much pain and disability.
Colombo Declaration recognises Co-operatives for Youth Development
At the closing ceremony of the World Conference on Youth 2014 (WCY2014), held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, youth and governments from over 160 countries released a joint declaration on the post-2015 youth agenda.
The ICA AP Committee on Youth Co-operation or the ICYC, a thematic committee set up by the ICA Asia and Pacific, and working since 2006 on development and empowerment of youth in co-operatives highlighted the value-based alternative model and principles that co-operative enterprises run on. The ICYC got support from its members in China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka who participated at the Conference as delegates by organising external events such as ‘the Coop Difference – A Talk on the co-operative business model’, an exhibition booth at the Conference Exposition centre that showcased products based out of co-operatives from the ICYC member countries and the main event wherein the Chairperson of the ICYC, Dr. Sukesh Zamwar participated at the Roundtable plenary pertaining to Full Employment and Entrepreneurship to highlight the difference a democratically controlled and member owned economic enterprise such as co-operatives could make in shaping the world. This plenary titled ‘What we want’ saw the participation of Ms. Reiko Tsushima from the International Labour Organization and Mr. Thilanga Sumathipala, Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka. The outcomes of these plenary discussions were then used by the national delegates nominated from various governments to work jointly to bring out the Colombo Declaration.
